Bleach: Requiem For The Forgotten
by AvatarfanDillon
Summary: Please review. Without reviews, story will be discontinued. Also, please visit my profile and vote on your favorite romance to determine who I'll do after Ichigo x Senna and who I'll include in all. Need suggestions so message me some! Need more reviews. Without reviews, will not post new chapters. Please review.
1. Chapter 1

******Bleach**

Requiem of the Forgotten

Prologue

Ichigo Kurosaki stood on the bank by the river where he and his mother had been walking the night of her death as the sun set. Over his shoulder, his school bag hung by his finger tips. His orange hair had grown since the battle with Aizen nearly 14 months ago. He considered getting it cut as he stood overlooking the peaceful waterway where his mother had been murdered by a hollow.

As he considered this style change, he looked towards the downtown portion of Karakura Town, noticing the bridge he had to walk over occasionally to get to school or go to see some of his friends. He remembered one day, many months before, a red ribbon that had floated in the breeze toward him. He had caught it and seen a girl he thought he'd recognized. He had kept the ribbon but no longer remembered what he'd done with it.

He suddenly furrowed his brow as he asked himself why he was even thinking of anything like that. Why had he kept the ribbon? He usually hates to cling to the past. He couldn't understand it.

Suddenly, a voice behind him caught his attention, distracting him from his recollection.

"Hey Ichigo," she called from down the street.

He turned to see Tatsuki's smiling face and Orihime beside her blushing brilliantly. She looked like a dog that had just been caught.

"What's up Tatsuki?" he answered. "Hey Orihime."

"Hi Ichigo," Orihime said.

"Oh, I just caught Orihime staring at you again," Tatsuki said, causing Orihime to jump and try to silence her.

"What do you mean, again?" Ichigo asked, confusion written on his face.

"She's always watching you from a distance, especially when you come here," Tatsuki said calmly. "She worries about you, Ichigo. She just doesn't have the courage to ever tell you that."

Ichigo smiled at Orihime.

"No need to worry about me, Orihime," he said, scratching the back of his head. "I'm fine."

Orihime looked down at the ground, doubtfully.

"I'm telling the truth."

"Ok," she said, folding her arms beneath her bosom.

"Look, you don't have to watch me. If you're concerned just tell me, and I'll tell you if anything is wrong."

Orihime looked up at him, staring into his deep brown eyes.

"Promise you won't hide anything from me?"

"Orihime," Ichigo said, "why would I lie to you? We're friends aren't we?"

She blushed slightly and nodded lightly, using one hand to brush her hair behind her ear as she looked down.

"Anyway, shouldn't you two be headed home? I mean, it's getting late."

Tatsuki nodded, her face showing Ichigo she was slightly annoyed with him. He looked back at her quizzically and she gave him a look, clearly meaning, "I'll talk to you about it later."

As the two young ladies walked away, Ichigo once again stared off toward the water, trying to recall the thoughts he'd been grasping for before they'd interrupted him. After a few more moments, he decided he'd lost the thought and continued to walk toward his house.

==================================Bleach===================================================================

"Orihime," Tatsuki said as the two young ladies walked down the street, "you're going to have to tell Ichigo how you feel sooner or later."

"I know, Tatsuki," she replied. "I just can't... I couldn't even say it when I had the best chance..."

Tatsuki looked at her friend, slight concern showing on her face. She decided that she would have to talk to Ichigo about it later.

As they reached a four-way intersection, they parted ways with a pleasant farewell.

"I'll see ya at school tomorrow," Tatsuki said as she walked away.

Orihime waved with a smile and walked on.

Tatsuki walked for a while before looking back to ensure Orihime wasn't looking. She back-tracked to the point they'd parted and continued to walk to Ichigo's house from that point. Her concern for Orihime drove her to talk to Ichigo immediately. She was worried that Orihime hadn't told her everything about Ichigo and his power.

================================================Bleach=====================================================

Ichigo lay sprawled out on his bed, his hands behind his head, his eyes glued to some fixed point in space as he tried to recall what he'd been thinking about by the river when Tatsuki and Orihime had interrupted. He closed his eyes, wandering into the depths of his own mind. He vaguely remembered a red ribbon flying into his hand as he crossed a bridge...

"Ichigo!" came his fathers call from downstairs.

Ichigo bolted upright in frustration.

"What? I'm trying to think up here!"

As he said that, the figure of Tatsuki appeared in his bedroom door, her hand on her hip in a gesture of annoyance.

"Jeez," she said. "Way to great a friend."

"Tatsuki?" Ichigo stated, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I haven't been over to your house since we were kids," she said, looking around his room. "Ever since..."

Ichigo felt the unease of her mentioning his mother's death.

"I know," he said, "but what are you doing here?"

She sat down in his rolling chair in front of his desk.

"I came to talk to you about something."

Ichigo laid back down, staring off into space, once again.

"Ichigo-" Tatsuki began.

"Is this about me being a shingami?"

She looked surprised.

"Yes but-"

"I could tell by the way you've been acting since Orihime told you. Also, Orihime has been acting very concerned around me lately. You are probably wondering what she is concerned about aren't you?"

"Yes," Tatsuki said.

"What did she tell you?"

"She told me that you were a shinigami and that you had become one so you could protect all those people you care about. She also told me how many times you've saved a lot of people from monsters who would seek to destroy or devour all of humanity and a place called the Soul Society where the souls of we humans go when we die. She also told me that you'd been so powerful that you stopped that guy who was about to kill me, Keigo and the others. She wouldn't tell me any more about what was going on with your outfit, hair, height, or any of that stuff changing."

Ichigo closed his eyes as he listened to her, trying to think of a way to put her at ease without telling her the truth.

"Sounds like she told you pretty much everything."

He heard no response from Tatsuki for a few moments so he looked over to her in the chair. She had an honestly hurt look on her face.

"What?"

"Am I not your friend, Ichigo?"

"Tatsuki, I-"

"No! Tell me why Orihime is so worried about you, right now!"

"Tatsuki-"

"Ichigo!" Tatsuki screamed, grabbing him by the front of his shirt with one hand and cocking the other back to punch him in the face.

He stared into her eyes as tears started to flow down her face. As he watched, she began sobbing uncontrollably.

"Ever since you started this whole soul reaper nonsense, you've kept me, one of your oldest friends, at least an arm's length away at all times! I just want to know!"

She grabbed his shirt with the other hand and sobbed, pulling herself close to him.

His eyes, wide with shock, stared at the girl below him. That strong Tatsuki he knew was absent from her at the moment. What was going on?

"Tatsuki," he said calmly, "I didn't realize. I'm sorry..."

"Please, Ichigo," she sobbed, "don't apologize. Just tell me the truth."

As she calmed down and sat back on the chair, wiping her eyes.

"Tatsuki, the truth is, I'm losing my shinigami powers..."

"What? How?"

"The battle with Aizen, where I looked older? I had to use a technique that, after using that technique, I'd begin to lose all my shinigami powers. Orihime panicked when I collapsed immediately following the battle. That was one of two stages of spirit pressure loss. The second will be much more violent and painful."

Tatsuki's eyes widened.

"When will this second stage happen?"

"I don't know. It could be today or it could be a year from now..."

The silence between them slowly stagnated, causing both of them unease with the situation.

As Tatsuki was about to say something to Ichigo, he looked towards the door.

"Orihime," he said aloud. "You can come in any time now."

Tatsuki immediately ran to the door, looking out to find Orihime leaning against the door frame, her cheeks still wet from tears.

"Orihime, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she replied as she entered the room.

"What's up, Orihime?" Ichigo asked nonchalantly.

"I just brought some things over for you that I thought you'd like," she answered, setting a small baggy on the desk. She began to walk out, when Tatsuki, grabbed her wrist.

"Orihime," she said quietly, "you should tell him now. I'll leave you two alone."

"I can't do it," Orihime said, tears filling her eyes.

"Why not?"

"I just can't," Orihime nearly sobbed.

Tatsuki was about to rebuke when, suddenly, Ichigo stood bolt-upright on his bed, holding his wooden combat pass to his chest. She watched his shinigami form and body separate, his body falling to the floor. As it fell, she caught it, laying it on the bed.

"Orihime," she said, turning to the door.

"Yeah?"

"You have to tell him. He knows already and I know he feels the same."

Orihime looked down at her feet.

"Alright. I'll tell him."

"Good, now let's go help him out!"

==================================================Bleach=====================================================

The hollow was massive. It stood tall enough to look into the 6th floor of any building, easily. It's mask looked like a strange version of the Easter Island heads. Its yellow eyes scanned the streets for a soul as it lumbered through the town, occasionally roaring.

Ichigo watched the hollow for a moment as he ran through the air toward it. As he approached, he grabbed the hilt of Zangetsu, feeling the linen unravel, he aimed the blade down at the hollow, slicing it's mask clean in half.

He slung Zangetsu over his shoulder as he watched the hollow's being fade through its exorcism.

He eased himself to the ground, where he found Tatsuki and Orihime there waiting.

"What are you guys doing here? It's dangerous here."

"I know, but we'll always be here for you, Ichigo," Tatsuki replied.

He smiled slightly.

"Well, do you two need a lift home? I can carry ya."

They looked at each other with excitement and nodded.

"Hop on. Mind Zangetsu back there. He may be wrapped in linen but he can still cut you."

The two young ladies hopped on his back, each grabbing a shoulder.

As he knelt to take off, a sudden pain shot through his head and the image of a girl he thought he'd seen before flashed before his eyes. He yelled out in pain, grasping his head and curling into the fetal position on the ground.

As he continued to yell in agony, Tatsuki and Orihime panicked.

"Ichigo? Ichigo, are you alright? Ichigo?!" Tatsuki screamed.

Orihime grabbed her hair pins.

"Santen Kesshun I reject!"

Tatsuki backed off slightly, staring at Ichigo, who lay on the ground writhing in agony beneath Orihime's healing shield.

"What should I do?" she asked Orihime.

"Call Urahara. I'll handle Ichigo."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Chapter 2**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Ichigo's head swirled as he awoke lying Urahara's shop yet again. Sitting around him was Urahara, Yoruichi, Tatsuki, and Orihime. He looked around as he blinked to clear his eyes. He rubbed his eyes slightly as he sat up, propping himself on one elbow.

"What happened?" he asked. "Did I finally lose all of my spirit pressure?"

"No," Kisuke replied calmly. "We don't know exactly _what _happened. All we know is Orihime couldn't heal you and I couldn't find anything wrong with you when they brought you in."

"They?" Ichigo asked, suddenly remembering that he'd seen Tatsuki with Orihime. "Hey Tatsuki. Why are you here?"

"Don't you get it, you moron?" she said. "I'm here 'cause I actually care about you."

He smiled as he lay back down. Almost as soon as his head hit the pillows, his eyes closed and he slid into a deep sleep.

===================== Bleach=============================

"Ichigo, I'm scared," a sweet, gentle voice said from the fog. "I won't do it. I just can't."

Deep amber eyes appeared in the deep darkness, staring into Ichigo's own, sadness overflowing in them.

"I can't allow it. Not when this is such a wonderful world with so many beautiful people living in it. Not where you live Ichigo. I can't let that happen!"

A deep sadness filled Ichigo, as though he knew the person who that voice belonged to. A face appeared behind the amber eyes, hazy and unclear as he tried to remember that girl.

As he tried to force his memory out, suddenly, images of a great battle appeared. He was battling some white-haired man in strange armor. He remembered being pinned to an object that appeared similar to a tree. Blades had pierced his abdomen and chest. The man's words were distant, but Ichigo heard himself responding almost as distantly.

_What am I saying, damn it?_ he asked himself. _What is this dream? And what does it have to do with that girl?_

Suddenly, he saw the man holding the girl under his arm and Ichigo tried to save her, being severely wounded and falling from the sky.

"Ichigo!" her voice shrilly called to him as he fell.

=====================Bleach=================================

"Senna!" he screamed as he sat bolt-upright. As he looked around, he remembered where he was. As he calmed down, the memory of the dream started fading away. Soon, he remembered none of it. He held his head with one hand as he tried to drag out some detail from the dream but he only remembered the strange man in the old armor.

The door beside him opened softly, as Orihime rushed in.

"Ichigo, you're awake," she said, relieved.

"Yeah," he said rubbing his head. "How long was I out for?"

"About three hours since the last time you woke up," she said with a smile.

"Where's Kisuke?"

"He's off on an errand, but he'll be back in a little while."

"Alright. I think it's time I head home. You should do the same."

Orihime looked at him, concernedly.

"Orihime, I'm fine."

"Alright."

He stood from beneath the covers, and grabbed his shirt, pulling it over his head. Orihime blushed as he did so, turning away.

"I have an idea," he said with a smile. "How about I walk you home? Just so you know I'm alright."

Orihime blushed again. She was about to refuse when he walked out the front door into the bright sunlight.

"You comin'?" he said with a slight smile playing at his lips.

"Uh, sure!" she said jumping up and joining him outside.

They walked together, rather silently, all the way to the bridge. As they crossed the bridge, Ichigo stared off into the sunset. He knew there was something he'd done on this bridge many months ago. He remembered the red ribbon flying through the air. He remembered holding a soul reaper girl, other than Rukia, as he landed on the bridge. Her voice, softly calling to him...

"Ichigo?" Orihime asked. Her hands were held together against her chest as she stared at him quizzically. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," he answered. "I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"You just stopped and stood there for a couple minutes, staring off in the distance..."

"Oh..."

The silence grew between them until, finally, they began walking once again towards Orihime's house. As they continued to walk, Orihime looked down at the ground.

"You know," she said softly, not allowing her eyes to leave the ground. "I can't help feeling like there's someone I should see whenever I cross that bridge..."

Ichigo's eyes widened as he looked over at Orihime.

"I feel like that place was very important at one point in time, but I can't remember what," she continued. "I just have this feeling like there's a girl we knew who should've been there."

Ichigo returned his eyes to the street in front of him as he continued.

"I know how you feel," he said after a few moments of silence.

They continued walking silently, their silhouettes gradually fading from the bridge's surface.

Behind one of the many support beams of the bridge, a girl in a tan school uniform with a navy blue skirt and tie hid, listening to the two from afar. A single teardrop slid silently down her cheek.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2**

Ichigo found himself, once again, atop the tall bridge, staring down at the water beneath. He longed to retrieve those memories he'd only found in the deepest recesses of his dreams. He remembered looking down at the water from the bridge. There'd been a green glowing ring surrounding the border between this world and another. The harder he tried to remember these things, though, the harder it became to see them clearly.

"Damn it," he muttered to himself. "Why can't I remember?!"

He held his head with one hand as he leaned on the railing with the other, staring into the depths of the water, wishing the ripples would somehow unlock his memories.

As he stood silently longing for the return of his memories, he heard the shuffle of footsteps approaching softly, as though uncertain how near to him they should approach. He paid them no mind as he stared down into the moonlit waters.

Suddenly, the person who'd been walking toward Ichigo only moments before stopped. Once again, Ichigo was too deep in thought to notice as he stood staring down at the water.

Just as suddenly as the person had stopped, they turned and began walking away.

It was then that Ichigo became curious of the person and decided to look and investigate them. As he looked up, he saw a young lady with slightly longer than shoulder length purple hair walking away from him. He was about to ask them who they were when a memory flashed before him of another young lady with purple hair and a red ribbon tying it up.

"Hey, wait," he managed to say to the girl. She stopped momentarily and looked through her hair at him. Through her hair he could not make out any detail and tried to move to an angle that he could see her better.

The girl, realizing he was trying to get a better look at her, hid her face and put her arm up to her head. Ichigo then began to walk towards the girl, reaching a hand out to grab her shoulder. As soon as he was only a fingertip away from her, she began sprinting away from him.

"Hey wait!" Ichigo shouted, priming to pursue the girl. As he began to sprint after her, a sudden spike of spiritual pressure distracted him and his combat pass began to make eerie, miniature hollow roars.

He looked at his combat pass and the girl, trying to decide which one took precedence.

As he tried to decide, he suddenly realized he'd brought a certain annoying fur-ball with him. Pulling Kon from his bag, he put the pass to him and ate the soul candy that popped out of the stuffed animal. Once his shinigami form was free from his human body, he looked back at Kon to ensure he was alright.

"Take care of my body, Kon," he shouted, taking off in the direction of the hollow.

"Sure, ass-hole," Kon shouted after him.

==Break============================================================================================

"Ichigo?" Rukia said as the substitute shinigami appeared next to her. "Why are you here?"

"I sensed a hollow," he replied, placing a hand on Zangetsu's hilt.

"Well, you're not needed here. I already handled this one."

Ichigo nodded, relaxing his stance and releasing Zangetsu. As he prepared to leave, however, another spike in spiritual pressure emerged. He searched through the city with his own spirit pressure to find it and his eyes instantly widened.

"Ichigo, what is-" Rukia began.

"Kon!" Ichigo interrupted, flash stepping back in the direction of the bridge.

=============Break===================================================================================

"That jerk," Kon muttered, brushing off the body of Ichigo, which he now possessed. "Always dropping me in the middle of nowhere just so he can go and play shinigmai!"

As he reached down to pick up the bag Ichigo had dropped in his hand-off of his body to Kon, Kon felt the spirit pressure of the hollow Ichigo was chasing after disappear.

"Well, he handled that one faster than usual," Kon said, flinging the bag over his shoulder and beginning to walk home. As he did, he suddenly noticed a young lady just a little way down the bridge staring at him from a distance. He looked at her quizzically when he realized he was picking up a slight spiritual presence from her.

"Hey," he said, reaching out towards her. "Who are you, anyway?"

The girl, once again, began sprinting away, sparking Kon's curiosity. He began to chase after her as well, when a hollow suddenly appeared between the girl and him.

"Whoa! Where the hell did _you _come from? And why couldn't I sense you before?"

It was then that the spirit pressure of the hollow flowed over him like a massive wave. Kon was stunned for a moment by the massive discharge, when the hollow brought its arm up and back-handed him so hard he flew into the railing on the side of the bridge, breaking a few of his ribs. The pain was intense and left Kon nearly immobile. He clutched his abdomen as he writhed in pain. The hollow began slowly walking towards him.

As it approached, the same young lady who'd run away from Kon moments ago now stood between the hollow and him. She held her arms out in a sign of defense.

"Leave Ichigo alone, you ugly bastard," she screamed.

The hollow stopped momentarily, deciding if it should kill her or just move her out of the way so it could devour him. Once it reached a decision, it, once again, brought its arm up and was about to smack the girl as well, when, suddenly, the girl leaped into the air. As she came down, she shedded her gigai, revealing what appeared to be a shinigami.

The girl withdrew her Zanpakuto and was about to strike when, from the same direction he'd left moments ago, Ichigo appeared. With a single sweep of his blade, the mask of the hollow was cleaved in two.

As the hollow began to disappear, Ichigo turned to the girl only to find she was gone. As he looked for her, he found her on the ground grabbing her gigai.

"Hey, wait!" he shouted, starting towards her.

Before he could catch her, she muttered something under her breath. A rush of dead autumn leaves swirled around her and her gigai. Ichigo covered his face and was blown backward by the torrent.

When he recovered, the girl was gone, leaving only the sense of familiarity he couldn't stand.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3**

Ichigo lay on his mattress that night, thinking of the girl he'd seen. He knew he recognized her from somewhere, but he couldn't recall the place. He was so frustrated that he'd already stuffed Kon in a drawer to shut him up.

A timid knock on the bedroom door made him look in that direction, only to find Tatsuki, once again, standing before him.

"Tasuki," Ichigo said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

As he sat up, she walked into the room further and sat on his rolling desk chair.

"I just heard from Rukia about that girl," Tatsuki replied. "Do you know anything about her?"

Ichigo put one hand behind his head and closed his eyes with a frown.

"No. It's so damn frustrating because I know that I know her, but I can't recall where!"

Ichigo looked over to Tatsuki, and was suddenly surprised to see Orihime's head poking into his door, anxiously.

"Orihime?"

"What?" she nearly screamed, jumping slightly.

"Will you just come in?" Tatsuki said, slightly annoyed.

Ichigo looked at the two girls and waited for one of them to explain.

"Ichigo," Orihime said, nervously. "I..."

"She wants to tell you something," Tatsuki said after Orihime was silent for a moment. She looked at Orihime and motioned her head towards Ichigo. "Tell him."

"Ichigo..." she said, pausing for another moment. "I-"

"She wants to say that she loves you!" Tatsuki blurted out, cutting off Orihime and blushing harshly.

Ichigo was taken aback by the confession and took a moment to reply.

"I knew that already," he said, with a slight smile.

"I told you!" Tatsuki nearly shouted.

Orihime blushed heavily and looked down at the ground. She didn't know what to say, so she thought for a few minutes, before coming to a decision. She turned towards Ichigo with a determined look on her face.

"Ichigo-" she began, but suddenly, a sharp rise in spirit pressure cut her off and Ichigo's combat pass began to make odd sounds.

Ichigo grabbed Kon, using the combat pass to get the soul candy out, and eating it. As he left, he looked back at Orihime, a quizzical look in his eyes.

"Go ahead," she said with a smile. "I understand."

"Thanks," Ichigo said with a smile to return. "I'll see you later."

With that, he flash stepped out of the room.

=======================Bleach===========================================================================

He howled wickedly as he cleaved the hollow's mask in two, watching it disintegrate as it was exorcised. Once that was complete, he put his zanpakuto on his back, the linen instantly wrapping around the blade.

"Good job Ichigo," Rukia said as she appeared behind him.

"Hey Rukia. What's up?"

"Just coming to see if you needed any help."

Ichigo looked into her eyes and could see the question burning within her. He knew what it pertained to but he didn't have an answer ready.

"Did-"

"Orihime already told me."

Rukia's face looked shocked as Ichigo walked away.

"What did she say?"

"She told me all about her feelings. That's all."

Rukia followed Ichigo looking down at her feet.

"What did you say?"

"I got this call right about then," Ichigo answered honestly.

"Ah."

"Yeah, I-"

Suddenly, a hollow burst from the bushes in front of Ichigo, catching him so off-guard, neither Rukia nor he could defend. He prepared himself for impact when, suddenly, a blade appeared between the hollow and Ichigo, slicing the hollow's mask apart.

Ichigo looked toward the blade's owner, only to be struck with thousands of memories instantly. His head swirled as he began to collapse to the ground. The girl before him, who had beautiful amber eyes and purple hair, was instantly worried and reached out to him.

The last sensation Ichigo remembered was hitting his head on the ground.

====================================Bleach=====================================================================

_"Ichigo!" _a voice screamed to him from the fog. As the fog lifted a beautiful girl with purple hair and amber eyes was being carried like a sack of potatoes under a man in strange armor's arm.

_"I could never allow you to die instead of me!"_

The words echoed as her face became clearer and clearer.

_"I feel warm... Ichigo?.. Will we ever meet again?" _

Tears rolled down Ichigo's cheeks as her weight faded from his back. His arms slumped once that weight was completely gone. He instantly fell to his knees.

"_I know she'll be gone soon, but right now, I can still hear her voice."_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 4**

His vision was blurred as he looked around him to get some sense of his bearing. As he looked around, he noticed a girl standing beside his head looking down at him. He groggily rubbed his eyes and looked at her once again, only to find a pair of beautiful amber eyes staring into his. His eyes widened as a name formulated to go with the familiar yet unfamiliar face.

"Senna?" he said cautiously, waiting for a reaction from the girl.

She smiled as tears flowed down her face. A sob escaped her lips as she wept with apparent joy.

As Ichigo saw her begin to weep, he looked around once again to find he was in his room, surrounded by Rukia, Orihime, Tatsuki, and Yoruichi. All of them looked cautiously at him. Orihime looked particularly upset as tears flowed down her face. She was also at his side, clinging to his hand as though her life depended on it. Her eyes showed that she'd been weeping heavily before he had awakened.

"Ichigo," the girl said. "Ichigo, it's me."

Ichigo looked at the girl again.

"It's me, Senna."

The girl watched his reactions, trying to see his recognition but was visibly saddened by his lack of recognition.

"I'm sorry," Ichigo said as she ceased to smile and was, once again, on the verge of tears. "I can't remember _how _I know you, all I know is that I know you."

The girl nodded as she realized that it was the truth. Her saddened expression did not change, however.

"Tell me. How do I know you?"

Senna weakly smiled at the thought of trying to bring back his memory of her.

"I can't tell you," she said faintly. "But I can try to show you."

Ichigo nodded as he squeezed Orihime's hand reassuringly. He sat up from his mattress with a slight effort and was about to speak when Tatsuki shoved him back down onto his mattress.

"You dumbass," she said with a slight catch in her voice. "You don't need to be moving."

"Tatsuki, I'm fine."

"Ichigo," Yoruichi chimed in. "Listen to her."

Ichigo looked at her and nodded, knowing she would not allow him to do anything to the contrary. As he laid his head back down on the pillow, Senna took a seat in his rolling chair, her eyes glued to the floor in sadness. As Yoruichi stepped back, she turned to Tatsuki and they quietly conversed.

"What are you guys talking about over there?" Ichigo asked, suspiciously.

"None of your business," Tatsuki answered. She pretended to be aggrevated, but he could see her concern for him beyond what she was showing. He felt the concern flowing from her.

Ichigo just left the conversation at that because he knew she would never tell him. He looked back up to the ceiling and let the silence take its place. He felt Orihime's hand gripping his tightly. She was especially worried about him since they had had to battle with the mod-souls. He'd lost his soul reaper powers and had to use mod-soul technology to restore his power. Despite this, she could feel his power dropping dramatically, as could he. It wouldn't be long before he would lose all his power.

Yoruichi and Tatsuki walked out together, sturring Ichigo's curiosity but, once again, he dare not ask. Soon, Rukia left as well. She had received a call from Captain Ukitake requesting her presence as immediately as possible and she had politely left.

After this, all that remained were Senna and Orihime.

"Senna?" Ichigo said, looking at the girl sitting in his chair. "Please, tell me how I know you? Why do I have these dreams and memories of you?"

"Ichigo," she said, looking into his eyes. "I cannot tell you. The words would not be enough. I need to show you. That is the only way I can truly drive you to remember me."

Ichigo nodded his acceptance and continued to lie on his bed, feeling the silence despite the two girls' presences. Soon enough, though, he was asleep once more and Senna decided that she may as well go as well. Without explaining her destination, she simply walked out of Ichigo's room and off into the evening. Ichigo slept peacefully as Orihime still clung to his hand for dear life. It was not until her stomach growled like mad that she finally decided to go home for the evening. She leaned forward and kissed his forehead.

Just as she was kissing his forehead, Ichigo's younger sister Yuzu walked into the room to check in on him.

"How is he doing?" she asked, startling Orihime slightly.

"He's fine," Orihime replied. "Just went back to sleep, so I'll go home and get some sleep as well."

Yuzu stared at her brother, concern written all over her face.

"Don't worry about him. He's strong."

"I know. He's just come home a lot lately with scars or beaten up. It's hard to _not _worry."

Orihime looked back down at him.

_Yeah_, she thought. _It certainly is._

==================================Bleach====================================================================

Yoruichi and Tatsuki walked together for a while, silence stagnating the space between them. They had been discussing the details of what they were about to do at Ichigo's bedside and now, they were about to do it. They needed to go to Urahara's shop, however, to train.

"Yoruichi?" Tatsuki said quietly. "Will what you're about to teach me help me protect those I care for?"

"Yes," she replied. "But, I must warn you, without the proper spirit pressure, you may not be able to get much from this training."

Tatsuki nodded grimly.

"We're here."

They stood silently for a moment outside of Urahara's shop before, suddenly, the doors slid open softly and silently, to reveal Urahara's suspicious figure standing in the darkened doorway, illuminated only by the lights outside.

"Good evening, ladies," he said, wryly. "How may I help you?"

"We need to use the underground training field," Yoruichi said, placing a hand on her hip.

"Ah, I see. Well, you're in luck, I just got done repairing it."

The two women walked into the shop, following the silhouette of Urahara all the way to a trap door with a ladder. They opened the door and began climbing down the ladder. As they climbed down the ladder, Tatsuki could see sunlight again. Once they were at the bottom of the ladder, she marveled at the massive desert landscape found beneath the shop as well as an artificial sky that, she guessed, never went dark.

"This is where we'll be conducting most of our training," Yoruichi said. "Now, are you ready?"

"Wait, how will we be training?" Tatsuki asked looking around for dummies or other equipment.

"I'm going to train you by making you defend yourself," Yoruichi said with a smile. With that, she flew towards Tatsuki, initiating their training.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 5**

It had been weeks since Tatsuki had begun her training with Yoruichi, who'd insisted the only way for her to become stronger was to fight for her own life. Tatsuki was physically drained after every session and left for home with so many bruises and scrapes, she felt like she'd battled Aizen herself. Her mind flashed back to seeing Ichigo that day. He'd been taller, had longer hair, and just generally looked older than he had. He'd been cloaked completely in black and his forearm was in some sort of gauntlet gluing his hand to the handle of a katana and chains running up his arm all the way to his shoulder where they seemed to disappear inside him.

Her eyes shifted downward.

_Maybe if I'd have been stronger _then_, I could've saved him from using his power and he wouldn't be losing his power, _she thought to herself.

As she turned the corner towards her home, she found herself standing just down the street from the Kurosaki family clinic. She looked at the window for Ichigo's room and saw it was on and he was sitting up at his desk. She debated with herself on whether or not she should go up and see how he was doing when she noticed the girl from a few weeks ago standing outside his front door, her hand held up as though she were going to knock.

As the girl put her hand down, another hand reached up to the door and gave it a knock. Startled, she looked up to see Tatsuki staring at her.

"You gonna go see him or not?" she asked, sounding slightly irritated. "He won't be able to rest well until you help him remember what he has forgotten of you. It's bad enough that you've waited this long to actually return to see him."

The girl stared into Tatsuki's eyes and was about to rebuke when Yuzu opened the door. She looked at the two girls with a smile and greeted them.

"How are you, Tatsuki?" she asked politely.

"I'm alright," Tatsuki answered, trying to hide her bruises and scrapes.

"Good. And who are you? I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting," Yuzu asked Senna, kindly.

Senna bowed slightly before responding.

"I am Senna," she said, mustering a smile. "It's nice to see you again."

Yuzu smiled but was soon confounded by the fact that this total stranger had said they'd met before and she couldn't remember it.

As she pondered this, she invited the young women inside and called to Ichigo, who came downstairs, scratching the back of his head.

"Yeah?" he asked, slightly irritable. "What do you-"

He looked at Senna and froze.

"Hey Senna," he said. "What's up?"

"Just thought I should come talk to you," she replied softly. The silence between them only grew, further sparking Yuzu's curiosity.

"Let's go upstairs," Tatsuki suggested as the silence began to make her uncomfortable.

"Yeah," Ichigo said, turning around and walking up the stairs.

Once they were all three in his room, he closed his door, sitting on his rolling chair while Senna sat on his bed and Tatsuki stood next to the window at the foot of his bed.

"Why are you so beat up, Tatsuki?" Ichigo asked, concernedly. "I noticed that you've been especially beaten up the last couple of weeks."

Tatsuki jumped at the question, slightly, and tried to make a believable answer.

"I have been working on my second degree black belt," she managed after a moment. "The higher level black belts in my class haven't been taking it easy on me."

Ichigo knew she was lying but he didn't pry any further, knowing she was unlikely to tell him anyway. He simply looked at her, concern written on his face.

"Don't worry about me," she said, noticing his expression. "I'll be fine."

With that, he turned to Senna.

"So," he said, "you haven't answered my question, yet. How do I know you?"

She looked down at her feet, swinging them from side to side as she thought.

"Will you come with me to the train station, tomorrow?" she asked quietly.

"You're leaving already?" he asked, slightly angry.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "That's not it. That's where we first met."

His anger melted away as he saw a blurred image of a young lady in a shinigami kimono releasing a zanpakuto over the train station.

"You're a soul reaper, aren't you?" he asked, clawing for the memories he had.

Senna's eyes turned upwards towards his and locked onto them.

"Yes," she said, staring into his eyes. "I was at the train station-"

"And you released your zanpakuto," he said, beginning to remember. "You stepped on my face, you little brat!"

Senna smiled as tears welled up in her eyes. A slight sob escaped her lips.

"What's wrong?" Ichigo said, worried.

"Nothing," she said, wiping her eyes. "It's just, that's exactly what you said to me that day we first met as well."

Ichigo suddenly remembered the train station clearly. He and Rukia had gone there to investigate a sudden spike in spiritual pressure. He'd attempted to perform a konso on one of the souls only to find it didn't work. Suddenly, the souls had attacked both Rukia and him when suddenly, a young soul reaper with a spiky pigtail and a yellow ribbon tying it had come in and started killing these strange souls. When she had been about to release her zanpakuto, Ichigo had crossed blades with her to stop her before she possibly damaged some of the property nearby with her release when she kicked him in the head, sending him back down to the ground. Then she released her zanpakuto and took out dozens of the souls. As she did so, a cyclone of dry autumn leaves was left in her zanpakuto's wake.

He grabbed his head as the memories flashed into his mind.

"Senna," he said as he stared off into space, remembering all this. "What were those-"

He suddenly remembered many of the captains and lieutenants trying to take Senna, because she was something called the "shinenju" and the souls she'd been fighting were souls who'd lost their memories, called "blanks", and the "shinenju" was the embodiment of their memories.

"Senna-"

Another flashback came into his mind of the night over the bridge yet again. He remembered Senna flying up over a glowing portal to a land he vaguely remembered as the "Valley of Screams". The conversation he had with her flowed through his mind again, as he watched a cyclone surround her as she released the blanks' memories back to them. Tears flowed down his cheeks as he recalled all this.

"Senna!" he screamed, wrapping the girl in his arms. "I remember! I remember everything!"

Senna's eyes were wide in disbelief and confusion as Ichigo held her. Then, the words he said sank in. Tears flowed into her eyes and she wrapped her arms around him, both of them clinging to one another as though their lives depended on it.

"I'm so happy, Ichigo," she said, the tears flowing down her beautiful face and wetting his shirt. "I feared you'd never remember."

"I never meant to forget," he said, pulling back and looking her in the eyes. "I swear I'll never forget again."

Tatsuki watched the two awkwardly and tried to sneak away while they shared this moment when Ichigo turned his head towards her.

"Where are you going?" Ichigo asked.

"I was going to leave you two alone," she answered, turning to walk away once again.

"You don't have to leave," he said, standing and grabbing her hand so she wouldn't leave.

Tatsuki looked down at his hand, a wild look entering her eyes before she used the heel of her palm to strike him in the center of his sternum, sending him flying back. Immediately, Senna bolted to his side and Tatsuki was down on her knees beside him, apologizing.

"Your reflexes are still impressive," he said, painfully, trying to catch his breath. He chuckled slightly as he sat himself up. Just then he looked at his clock and said, "You two should head home. It's getting late."

With that, the two girls stood and, reluctantly, left the room. The walked down the stairs and out the front door, saying goodnight to Yuzu and Karin on their way out.

As soon as they were down the street a slight way, Tatsuki turned around to face Senna.

"I don't know who you are, but if you hurt Ichigo, you'll answer to me," she said. "He is worried about you and, clearly, cares a lot about you. Don't betray him."

"I understand," she said, smiling. "I swear I won't hurt him."

The two girls shook hands before parting ways.

As they walked home separately, Tatsuki heard a commotion in the park. She'd recently learned how to detect spiritual pressure, but it was still faint in her. She ran towards the park, hoping she was wrong about what she thought was happening there.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 6**

As Tatsuki approached the park, she noticed a spirit standing on a sidewalk winding through the park while Ichigo battled with a monstrous hollow about a dozen or so yards away. She knew she couldn't intervene, and shouldn't so Ichigo wouldn't get distracted, so she settled with hiding and watching from afar. As she watched, Ichigo cut off the monster's arms, but as he was about to finish it, he suddenly froze and his breathing became ragged. Sweat beaded on his forehead and he barely had time to bring his massive blade between himself and the hollow's attack.

Tatsuki was about to jump into the battle when, suddenly, a light blue arrow made of reishi flew from beside the boy and Uryu Ishida appeared, with a large, spider-web-like bow seeming to rap around his wrist. As she watched, the monster fell down on one knee from the shot and Rukia, who'd flash-stepped to the battle, appeared above the monster only to come down, cutting it's head in two.

She continued to watch as they received more reports about hollows attacking elsewhere, and they told Ichigo to stay and perform a konso on the boy's spirit. Tatsuki felt relieved that they were looking out for him as well, but she also felt severe worry about Ichigo's state of being. She decided that she would discuss the state of things with Rukia as soon as possible.

She remained hidden in the bushes while Ichigo performed the konso on the spirit of the boy and until long after he'd left.

Once she was sure Ichigo had left, she walked back towards Ichigo's home. She reached the street, and around the same time, Rukia appeared, walking into the house. Tatsuki, emboldened to talk to Rukia about him, picked up her pace and caught Rukia at the door.

"Hey," Tatsuki said as Rukia was about to shut the door. Rukia managed to shut it for an instant before reopening the door and staring at Tatsuki questioningly.

"What's up?" she asked.

"Can we talk?"

======================================================BLEACH==================================================

The two girls had been walking around the block for nearly fifteen minutes, when finally, Tatsuki broke the silence with her question.

"What's happening to Ichigo?" she asked, a slight crack in her voice.

"What do you mean?" Rukia responded. "I thought Ichigo told you about his powers and losing them soon."

"He did, but is that finally about to happen? If it is, how can we stop it?"

Rukia stopped and was silent for many moments, deep in contemplation as to how she could answer that question. She finally settled on an answer, she thought, would suffice.

"Tatsuki, he is, indeed, at the rate he is going, about to lose his powers. However, if we can convince him to stop fighting for a little while, the researchers at the department of research and development as well as Urahara may be able to save his powers. We are working as hard as we can to find a way to halt, if not reverse, the loss of his powers."

Tatsuki stood silently for a while, thinking about what she should do or say.

"Trust me, we want to help him too."

Tatsuki grabbed Rukia by the shirt and held her up slightly, staring right into her eyes.

"Help him," she said, tears building up into her eyes. "Please."

Rukia reached out and touched Tatsuki's shoulder with her right hand.

"I'm doing what I can, Tatsuki. I hope we can stop all of this from happening though."

Tatsuki wiped her eyes and released Rukia's shirt. She straightened herself up before saying goodnight to Rukia and heading home. Rukia watched the young woman walk away, realizing herself the hopelessness of the situation.

"I'm sorry Tatsuki," she said to herself. "I wish I could save him... He refuses to stop fighting... I'm afraid we're not going to be able to save him..."

She walked into the Kurosaki household quietly, trying to keep from waking the sleeping sisters.

Standing just down the street, Senna had overheard all of the conversations. Her eyes were red from crying as she stared at the front of the Kurosaki house. All of the lights had now been turned off and she stood silent and alone on the street. As more crying threatened to burst forth from her, she opened her mouth and quietly spoke.

"Ichigo," she said, her voice cracking on the verge of sobs. "I'm so sorry. Please, be alright. Please..."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 7:  
Senna's True Past**

Ichigo dove down on the monstrous hollow, attempting to cleave its mask in two with his massive zanpakuto. The hollow easily dodged him and when he leaped to make another attempt, it swatted him away like an insect. At that moment, Rukia arrived from a flash-step at Ichigo's side. After a moment of discussing strategy, they put a plan into action.

On the ground, Rukia used her zanpakuto's released state to freeze the hollow's legs to the ground so it could not walk away. As it struggled, Ichigo prepared his attack from the top of a building.

"This is my last one," he said as he assumed his stance. After a moment of charging his spirit energy into the blade in silence, he opened his eyes and yelled, "Now! Getsuga tenshou!"

With that, he sliced through the air and a blade of spirit energy flew towards the monster from the zanpakuto. It struck the mask of the hollow violently, dividing the neck, head, and upper portion of the hollow's chest divided in two before its being began to shimmer and fade from the exorcism. Soon, its entire body had faded and Ichigo had jumped down from the top of the building to stand next to Rukia, leaning heavily on his blade to stand.

"Ichigo," Rukia said, movingly slightly towards him. "Are you alright?"

"Just barely," he said, exhaustion filling his voice.

"Honestly," she said, concerned. "You're always pushing yourself way too hard."

"Well, like you said before, no matter what happens, I'll always be me, right?" he replied. "So then, don't go hidin' stuff that you have to say to me."

Rukia looked shocked for a moment.

"So you knew... what I've been meaning to tell you?"

"I'm pretty sure I've got a good idea about what the old man and the others are thinkin' about me."

"Ichigo..."

"Sorry. I know I've put you through a lot."

Suddenly, pain racked Ichigo's body causing him to collapse to the ground and drop his blade as he gasped for air.

"Oh no!" Rukia shouted as she ran to his side. "What's wrong?"

Ichigo stretched out on the ground and simply lay there for a moment.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said, weakly. "I'm really sorry, Rukia, for dragging you into my personal mess up until the very end."

"Don't say that," Rukia said as she felt sadness welling up inside her. "You fool. That's just not right..."

"We're friends. Don't forget that. Real friends."

"I know that," she said, holding back her emotions. "Just stop talking and rest."

As the pain finally caused him to lose consciousness, Rukia silently observed him.

"You're right, Ichigo. And no matter what happens, nothing will change who we are."

With that, she began to attempt to lift him onto her shoulders so she could carry him to Urahara's shop, when, suddenly, Senna ran up to her side.

"Senna?!" she exclaimed. "What the hell? How did you find us?"

Senna's eyes were filled with tears as she saw Ichigo's unconscious body.

"Is he alright?" she pleaded, trying to hold back her sobs. "Please tell me he's alright!"

"He's alive," Rukia replied. "Help me get him to Urahara's shop."

"Right," Senna said nodding. She quickly produced a soul-candy dispenser from her purse and split her spirit from her gigai and she quickly got Ichigo's left arm. Together, the women lifted him from the ground. Rukia was slightly unnerved by Senna's soul reaper form, but ignored it due to the precedence of Ichigo's situation. She had to get him to Urahara.

"Can you flash step?" Rukia asked, grunting with effort.

Senna nodded and the two began flash stepping to Urahara's shop.

========================================BLEACH=========================================================

Once they arrived at Urahara's shop, Rukia disappeared to go tell Ichigo's family that he was going to be spending the night at Keigo's house and that he would be back soon enough. Once she'd left, Senna had told her gigai to meet her at the shop and reunited with it. As she did so, Urahara walked through the sliding door. His classic striped hat, tall clogs, kimono, fan seemed so out of place to Senna.

It wasn't until Senna looked at his face that she realized who he was, however.

"Hello, Senna," Urahara said calmly as he sat cross-legged beside Ichigo's bedding area. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"About four hundred years, if I recall," she said, a tone of uncertainty in her voice.

**************************************************************BLEACH*******************************************************************

Senna remembered a time when she'd first met Urahara. He'd been the leader of the corrections division of the stealth force. He was being seriously considered for the upcoming captain's slot. She thought he looked somewhat unkempt and hadn't believed that he could be the leader of any division of the stealth force. Still, his power, she sensed, was incredible. She had always had a strong sense of feeling for other's power levels and their true potentials. He may have been a mess, but he was still impressive.

Then, she remembered shortly after he got the position as captain of squad twelve and began turning it into the center for research and development. She still hadn't much of an idea as to the kind of person he was. She was always so busy with first squad. The head captain always her running messages throughout what seemed like the entire soul society. She'd been happily doing her job, though.

Until, one night when she ran into a young and coming lieutenant. He wore glasses and had brown hair. He seemed so very pleasant, but she got an unease being around him. She tried to avoid him as much as possible. He scared her with his cynical sensation she sensed from him. She trusted her instincts greatly as she continued to avoid him as much as possible.

One evening, as she attempted to avoid his path, however, she met another relatively new face.

"Captain Urahara," she said bowing nervously. "I'm sorry! I didn't see you there."

"It's fine," Urahara had said with a smile. "Say, you're that young soul reaper working in squad one aren't you? Senna, I believe is the name?"

Senna blushed fiercely.

"Yes, sir," she replied. "That is me. Is there something I can help you with, captain?"

"Sure is. For one, you can stop being so formal. My name is Urahara."

"Yes, s-" Senna began. "I mean, Urahara."

"Also, I need you to give the head captain a message for me."

"I could never go directly to the head captain in that manner! I'm not even a seated officer!"

"I know. All you need to tell him is that it's from me and anyone should know to let you in."

With that, he handed her a piece of parchment folded and tied up, as well as sealed to indicate if anyone had read it before the head captain.

"Don't look at it, and tell no-one you saw me. Alright, Senna?"

"Very well, captain."

Urahara gave her a mockingly disappointed look as she realized she'd called him captain again.

"I'm sorry," she said before sprinting off towards her captain.

Weeks passed before she saw Urahara again, and when she did, he had yet another parchment to take to her captain. She ran these messages, from that point, weekly.

As the weeks passed, she heard rumors of people dying mysteriously in the woods somewhere and they were preparing a group of captains and lieutenants to investigate.

Suddenly, the week the investigation team was assigned to go out, Senna was ordered into head captain Yamamoto ordered her into his office.

"Senna," he said.

"Yes, sir?" she responded respectfully.

"You must investigate a certain, recent occurrence."

Senna looked up nervously.

"There's a dimension, known as the Valley of Screams, that has opened between our world and the world of the living. I need you to find an item, known as the shinenju that will aid the lost souls in the valley in finding their way to the soul society. You see, these souls, known as blanks, got lost, as did their souls' memories. Their memories, however, did not disappear but, rather, formed into a new entity. It will look like a jewel. Find it, and bring it to us. We need to throw the object into the valley. Once this is done, the dimension will cease to exist and the souls will return to the soul society."

Senna stood and bowed to her captain as he dismissed her to begin her mission.

After she reached the world of the living, it took her many months of searching to find the object she sought. Once she found it, she returned it to her captain as ordered.

"Senna, I'm afraid I must, once again, ask a great deal of you."

"I would die if it meant protecting the soul society and world of the living."

"I'm afraid I must ask you to take the shinenju to the Valley of Screams," the old man said. "It will be relatively safe and worry free."

Senna nodded to her captain yet again as she was dismissed by her captain to perform her duty.

That night, as she returned to her quarters, she saw the lieutenant watching her again. She hastened her pace, soon reaching her room. Once there, she proceeded to close the blinds and lock all the possible entryways.

Suddenly, the captain for second squad and leader of the stealth force, Yoruichi Shihouin, dropped from the ceiling of the girl's room, landing on the floor next to her. It was then that Senna noticed a zanpakuto in the corner that did not belong to her.

"Excuse me ma'am, but what are you doing in my quarters?" she whispered frantically. "And why did you bring your zanpakuto with you? What did you have in mind?"

"Well, I just wanted to talk. As for my zanpakuto, I don't even believe in using the damned thing. It's so impractical as a weapon for a stealth fighter. It's too large and bulky."

"What is it you wished to speak to me about ma'am?" Senna asked.

"I want to know what you're locking up for."

"That young lieutenant, the one for squad five I think? He's following me and watching me very often and I felt uncomfortable and unsafe."

"Lieutenant Aizen?" Yoruichi asked.

"Yeah. He's creepin' me out."

Yoruichi looked thoughtful for a moment before smiling warmly at the girl.

"Don't worry. He is no problem to concern yourself with. Anyway, I should let you get off to bed. You have errands to run tomorrow, don't you?"

"Yes ma'am. Thank you."

As Yoruichi walked by the girl, she whispered into her ear a slightly nerve-racking message.

"Don't let anyone get their hands on this jewel," she said, grabbing the girl's side where she hid the item. "It could be dangerous in the wrong hands. Just be aware that I'll be personally protecting you tomorrow. I will only be in the precipice world with you, however. Entering the Valley of Screams is something you must do alone. You must enter it and drop the shinenju directly into the heart of the valley."

The girl nodded in understanding as Yoruichi began to walk out, grabbing her zanpakuto.

"Have a good night," she said pleasantly as she left.

The next day, they entered the precipice world and reached the valley with ease. Yoruichi stood silently in the precipice world watching Senna bravely walk forth, the shinenju in her hands.

"Be brave," she told the girl. "It will only take a moment to get rid of it."

Senna nodded and took a step into the valley. Once she broke through the barrier, she could no longer see into the precipice world. She nervously continued her movement to the center of the valley. Once there, she nervously reached into her kimono, extracting the shinenju. Blanks began to fly up from the ground, sensing the jewel's presence.

As Senna held her hand out to drop the shinenju, another hand grabbed it. It was then she noticed a circle surrounding her and the other person consisting of six green, plant-like spikes. The other hand, green and similar to the spikes in appearance held the jewel up, revealing an all too familiar face as Senna drew her zanpakuto.

"Ah. No need to worry, Senna," Aizen said calmly. "I'm not going to hurt you. Unfortunately, however, you're a very important experiment I need to conduct."

Senna held her blade towards him as she began to back away.

"I don't know what you mean, but you better stay back or I'll cut you in half," she warned.

"Don't worry. This will be over soon enough."

With that, Aizen was suddenly beside Senna. She tried to swing her blade at him only for him to stop it with a single finger. He pinched the blade between his forefinger and thumb before pulling it from her hand and forcing it into its sheath.

"Now." Aizen said bringing the jewel up for a final glance.

With that, he thrust his green hand, still clutching the shinenju, into her chest, merging the shinenju with her soul. He quickly withdrew his hand and watched as her soul suffered no permanent damage.

"It worked exactly as planned," he said with a wry smile. He grabbed Senna by the hand and slung her over his shoulder. As he began to carry her out, ready with his excuse as to what had happened to her, her body began to shimmer and fade from existence, until her soul and disappeared completely.

The next thing Senna remembered, she was at the train station where she'd met Ichigo and Rukia.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 8**

Kisuke Urahara stood silently outside his shop, staring up at the moon. The night was entirely too quiet, he sensed. An ominous sensation filled the air as he tried to figure out exactly what could be amiss. He probed the surrounding area fervently for anything that could give him more indication as to what he was suspect of.

Suddenly, Senna was beside him staring at the moon as well.

"Why, good evening," said Urahara with a cocky sneer.

"Captain Urahara," she said.

"Please, call me Kisuke."

"Fine, Kisuke," she said. "As you know, I was recently separated after nearly one hundred and forty years being merged with the shinenju. I've been gone so long, I don't know anything of what's been happening in the soul society lately. I've only caught rumors floating here and there about Aizen becoming a captain only to betray all of them and so on."

"Well, that's the long and short of it."

"Tell me everything," Senna said, grabbing his sleeve with both hands and looking frantically into his eyes. "Tell me what it has to do with Ichigo and why Ichigo is losing his power."

"I'm not sure I'm the right person to tell you that," he replied. "But, I suppose... Alright. Come with me."

With that, Kisuke lead Senna through the room Ichigo was sleeping in and into a large, empty room. Once there, he turned on a small light in the corner so they would not wake anyone who was in the nearby rooms. Once he'd done this, he sat cross-legged on the floor in front of Senna, removing his hat and setting it gently on the floor. Once he'd done this, he produced his fan, opening it and fanning himself slowly as he began to speak.

"You see, about thirty years after you disappeared trying to destroy the Valley of Screams, Aizen performed experiments in hollowfication in order to produce warriors stronger than captains who would do his bidding while he attempted to overthrow the entire soul society, all in a vain attempt to destroy the Soul King. He managed to turn quite a few of the people you knew as captains into hollowfied soul reapers. I had a feeling that the people he had done that to were headed for a trap and the kido captain, Tessai Tsukabishi, and I set off to follow them and try to aid them. My own lieutenant was also caught in the midst of the mess. Unfortunately, I was too late to reach them and, when I confronted Aizen, he produced a nineties-level kido to defend himself from us with ease and no spirit chant. When he'd left, I brought the others back and attempted to use an item I called the hogyoku to reverse the effects of the hollowfication on them, but to no avail. The next morning, after being crushed by the failure, I was arrested for the crime of trying to hollowfy the captains and soon convicted of the crime. I was about to be banished to the world of the living with no spirit pressure to die, and Tessai to be stripped of power and imprisoned, until Yoruichi broke us both out and saved our lives."

Urahara looked down at the ground slightly sadly as he recalled Yoruichi's rescue.

"I owe her twice over now," he said, grimly.

"How-so?" Senna asked.

"You see, she used to have a zanpakuto, until I told her about a new, unusual method of forcing a soul reaper's zanpakuto into a physical manifestation so the person could attain a state of bankai with far less time and training than most captains and lieutenants did. I could make a person reach bankai in only three days."

Senna's eyes widened in shock.

"But most captains take decades to fully master bankai!"

"I know. That's why the idea was so attractive for us both. Once I'd developed the technique, I was going to use it with Benihime first, just to find if it was safe or not, but, before I could, Yoruichi had found out and the flash-step master was there asking me to allow her a chance. Against my better judgement, I agreed."

"What happened," Senna asked, fearing the answer.

"Well, one of two things happen with this training technique. You either gain the ability to use bankai and possibly even master it, or you lose your life to your own zanpakuto."

Once again, Senna's breath caught in her chest.

"So what happened to her zanpakuto?"

"Well, after the three days had passed, I was about to shut down the body the zanpakuto resided in, but it kicked me across the training field and proceeded to battle Yoruichi. As I tried to reach her, her zanpakuto managed to deal a devastating blow and brought her so close to death, she was dead for nearly five minutes. Once she died, her zanpakuto's physical manifestation faded from the machine but the machine, being an unstable prototype, melted down, taking her actual sword with it. Luckily, I managed to bring her back from the brink of death, but, no matter what I tried, I could not bring back her zanpakuto."

"Oh..."

"Anyway, after nearly one hundred and forty years, Aizen finally got his hands on my hogyoku, which I had hidden from him, and began to try to awaken it. He created zanpakuto-weilding warriors from hollows he called arrancars while he waited and left the soul society along with two other captains, Ichimaru and Tosen. After a year, almost two, the final battle began between Aizen and his forces and the forces of the soul reapers. He'd even factored in the hollowfied soul reapers he'd made and Ichigo, there. One thing he hadn't figured on, however, was Ichigo's strength. Ichigo's soul is so powerful, he even surpassed Aizen once Aizen had merged his being with the hogyoku. In the end, Aizen reached a peak and could not pass it while Ichigo used a technique that was more powerful than anything I've ever seen before and defeated Aizen with ease."

"Aizen didn't die, however and when he tried to return to the fight, angry that his plans had failed, a trap I'd laid for him only hours before, took effect as his spirit pressure became too weak to fight off the kido. His power continued to drop past the point of the hogyoku allowing him to use its power. Once this happened, he was trapped and sent to Central forty-six for sentencing. Ichigo has been in a downward spiral ever since, losing more and more of his power. We already had to use mod-soul technology to brink back his power once, but, despite our best efforts, his power still dropped off yet again. I've been trying to work on some method, but I'm afraid it isn't working. I'm sorry."

Senna nodded grimly, staring at her hands resting on her thighs. A tear drop fell onto one of them as her body shook with restrained sobs.

"Kisuke," she said through gritted teeth. "You're a smart man."

"Why thank you," he said, smiling slightly.

"But I also know you knew Aizen was trouble long before this. Why did you let him get that far?!"

Urahara's smile disappeared and he looked down, shadows covering his eyes.

"Why did you make Ichigo fight a battle you could've prevented hundreds of years ago!"

"I couldn't," he replied softly. "Aizen was always more powerful than I could've ever managed alone. And by the time I had the idea to do something about him, he'd already gotten more powerful than anything I could handle. I knew I needed someone with unique power and someone who'd never seen his zanpakuto's release to handle him once I learned of his threat. Ichigo had been watched by both Aizen and I throughout his entire life and I knew he'd have planned for my actions but he couldn't predict Ichigo's true potential like I could. Ichigo was the only person, soul reaper or hollow or, even, human, who could handle Aizen."

The silence grew between the two, and, after nearly five minutes of the lonely silence, Senna stood slowly.

"Damn you, Kisuke," she said turning her back to him. "You knew Aizen was trouble from the moment he joined the soul reaper academy and you did nothing about it."

With that, she opened the sliding door to the room Ichigo slept, sitting on her haunches beside his bed watching him silently.

**************************************************************BLEACH****************************************************************

The darkness in the dangai precipice world seemed complete as the man walked slowly forth, the restrictive current having seemingly no effect on him. It had been only moments since the cleaner had bore through the area, leaving him a perfect pathway to follow. His pace was leisurely as he simply strolled through the precipice world, running through everything in his mind one last time.

He had been working on these plans for months now. After he'd escaped from the soul society's grasp, he'd worked on restoring his spirit pressure to its former level. He'd been unable to do so and now he knew the only way he could do what he intended to do was strategically. His opponents were all far too powerful for him to manage against alone.

"Those fools in Central forty-six thought they could trap me?" he said, smugly, to himself. "I've been ten steps ahead of them the entire time. While it is true I hadn't planned on the hogyoku failing in the manner that it did, I was still prepared for such an eventuality. I can still dethrone the Soul King."

He stopped and drew his zanpakuto from its sheath slowly, watching every inch slide into view.

"First, however," he said looking at the reflection of the small portion of his face the blade reflected. "I'll have to pay a little visit to the substitute soul reaper."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 9**

It had been nearly two months, now, since Ichigo had lost his powers. Since that day, he'd seen neither Rukia nor Senna. Also, Uryu had been extremely busy with killing hollows. Ichigo looked around his classroom as the bell rang, watching all of his classmates get out of their seats and go to lunch. He chose to sit alone, staring out the window, uncertain of how he truly felt about losing his powers.

"Ichigo?" a soft voice called to him from behind.

He turned to see the concerned face of Orihime staring at him.

"What's up?" he asked, nonchalantly.

"Are you alright?" she asked. "I mean, are you really alright after losing your abilities?"

_She knows, _he thought to himself.

"I'm fine, Orihime," he said with a fake smile. "Don't worry about me."

She put a fake smile on too, but he could sense she was still extremely worried. He knew he'd been acting distant from her and the rest of his friends lately. He was just not feeling up to it at the moment. He'd been so intent on remembering Senna, he'd lost sight of his friends in the process.

"Hey," he said as she began to walk away. "How about we go get some lunch?"

Orihime stopped and smiled so wide he thought her cheeks might cover her ears.

"Sure!" she said happily.

With that, Ichigo stood and the two redheads proceeded to walk out the door of their classroom together. For the first time in a while, Orihime felt at ease with Ichigo's state and Ichigo stopped thinking about it all the time instead of neglecting to eat during lunch to think about that.

As they walked, Tatsuki noticed Orihime and Ichigo walking together. She began to walk towards Orihime but stopped. She shouldn't interrupt them. She was uncertain of what to tell either of them, anyway. As she began to walk away, her eyes cast down in defeat, she noticed a young woman with a healthy, fit physique standing in the hallway before her, her hand on her hip as she stood in Tatsuki's way. Tatsuki was about to shout at the girl when she noticed who it was.

"Why aren't you going over there to talk to them?" Yoruichi said with a smirk. "Go on."

Tatsuki opened her mouth to object when Yoruichi placed one hand on her shoulder and leaned in, staring into her eyes.

"You haven't got to tell him yet. You can wait as long as you need. But he deserves to know."

Tatsuki's heart felt like it was imploding as she realized Yoruichi was right. She choked back the sobs as she stood strong and Yoruichi walked her over to the place Orihime had taken Ichigo for lunch. The two saw her coming up and smiled. She did her best to smile back as Orihime waved frantically for her to join them.

"Hey, Tatsuki! Hey Yoruichi," Ichigo said. "Get over here! We were just about to have lunch. Wanna join?"

"Sure," Yoruichi said with a grateful smile. She pulled a chair for Tatsuki and herself, sitting Tatsuki beside Ichigo. As Yoruichi sat beside Orihime, silence awkwardly filled the air around Ichigo. He looked at Orihime who was staring off in the distance between Tatsuki and Ichigo, her face in a slight grimace.

"What's going on?" Ichigo asked as the three women began to give knowing looks at each other. He noticed that Tatsuki was the one Yoruichi and Orihime seemed to be waiting on, so he stared at her.

"Ichigo," she said, tentatively, not making eye contact. "I just wanted to tell you that, for the last few months, I've been training with Yoruichi. I've been trying to get stronger. Stronger, so I could protect all of the people closest to me."

Ichigo looked confused as he stared at her. He said nothing for a few moments, even after their lunches were brought over by Orihime, who'd planned for the two 'unexpected' guests. As the silence grew and he didn't move, Tatsuki, frustratedly, looked at him. To her surprise, he'd began to eat his lunch as though nothing had happened.

"Aren't you gonna say anything?" she yelled at him.

Ichigo took a drink of water from a bottle before he returned his gaze to her. It was a gaze she'd seen rarely in his eyes. It was gentle and caring, yet strong enough that she could feel he was worried.

"What do you want me to say?"

"Anything."

"Look," he said putting his hands behind his head, "I don't see why it matters to me right now. It's not like I'm anything special anymore. I'm just plain ole Ichigo now."

Tatsuki's anger seemed to deepen as she grabbed his shirt.

"You're not 'plain ole Ichigo'. There's never been anything plain about you. I told you I was training so that you might finally realize that we have all been preparing ourselves in case you ever needed us!"

"We?" Ichigo said, looking at Yoruichi and Orihime confused. Orihime smiled, half-heartedly, before holding herself and looking away from his eyes. "Orihime? Have you been training too?"

"We all have," she said softly. "Chad, Uryu, Tatsuki, me... Even Yoruichi."

Ichigo looked at Yoruichi who simply sat comfortably in the chair sipping on an ice cold soft drink.

"Even Karin and Yuzu know somethings up with you, Ichigo," Tatsuki said. "They've both been bothering me, your father and, even, Urahara about it."

"Kisuke?" Ichigo couldn't believe what he was hearing. Karin and Yuzu were investigating his days as a shinigami. "What have you told them?"

"We've told them what we could. Some of it was just too bizarre for us to explain, so we didn't. Otherwise, they are being informed as much as possible."

Ichigo grabbed his head as he leaned onto the table.

"Yuzu's seeing hollows, now, too," Yoruichi stated calmly.

"What? When did she tell you?"

"She didn't tell me. She told Kisuke when she went with Karin to his shop. She said she'd seen a strange ghost that had what looked to be a tribal mask of some nature on. It made these horrifying howls that sent chills down her spine."

Ichigo held his head in his hands while he rested his elbows on the table before him.

"Yuzu... Karin..." he said softly to himself. "Why didn't they just ask me? Why didn't they tell me?"

"They didn't want to bother you," Tatsuki said.

"Ichigo, they know that you've been in pain lately," Orihime said as her eyes began to water. "I can see it too. It hurts so much to see you like this and know that I can't help you get your powers back."

Orihime placed a hand over her mouth as she tried to hold back the sobs. Ichigo walked to the other side of the table and stood beside her for a moment. As she continued to weep, he gently slid his arms around her and hugged her from the side. He placed one hand on her head and pulled it to his chest. She stopped crying for a moment as surprise took its place.

"Orihime," he said softly. "I'm sorry for making you worry. I'm sorry for making all of you worry."

Orihime began to cry even harder, squeezing his shirt's front in her hands as she wept into his chest. Tatsuki felt the warm trickle of tears down her face as she walked over to Ichigo who held an arm out to her as well. She gladly accepted his offer and, soon, was weeping into his chest beside Orihime. He held both girls like that for nearly five minutes before they calmed down and wiped their bloodshot eyes. As the two girls regained their composure, Ichigo looked over at Yoruichi who smiled at him with pride.

"Anyway," Ichigo said, noticing the slightly wet front of his shirt. "I'm going to go change shirts but I'll see you guys back in class."

Orihime smiled as she wiped her eyes. Tatsuki had resumed her normal post as the tough girl and smiled confidently.

"Well hurry up," she said. "It's not like we want you to be late or anything."

Ichigo smiled as he walked off towards the lockers.

=========================================================Bleach=========================================

The locker opened loudly as he entered his combination and unlocked it. He quickly pulled off his shirt and placed it in the back corner of his locker with his gym clothes while he fumbled to find a new shirt. Once he found one, he quickly slid the fabric over his head, trying to snake his hands into the sleeves.

While the fabric still covered his face, he heard the all too familiar sound of a hollow's howl. He froze momentarily, trying to consider how that was possible. He couldn't even see normal ghosts anymore, much less hollows. He continued to put on his shirt, slowly, and listened for any other sounds. He stood stationary as a sensation filled him that he hadn't felt since he lost his shinigami powers, as well. He sensed the presence of the hollow. It was a faint sense, but he was certain that's what he was feeling. He closed his eyes and began to concentrate.

Suddenly, the bell rang for class, catching him off guard. His eyes widened instantaneously as he quickly shut and locked his locker before sprinting off to class. As he ran, he couldn't shake the unease of the situation he'd just encountered.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 10**

The evening settled upon the town as the night became cooler and the sun set in the distance. Alone on the silent street walked Ichigo. He stared at the ground as he tried to remember Senna and longed, somewhere deep inside, for the return of his powers. He couldn't help but feel that she needed his help. His feet seemed to move on their own, carrying him home as he continued to think, his bag slung over his right shoulder.

Suddenly, he felt as though he were being watched. He turned his head all around but could not see anyone. The sensation did not cease, however, so he proceeded down the street until he hit the road beside the river. As he proceeded down the road, he noticed what appeared to be a shadow sprinting, parallel to the road, along the river bank. He turned his head to try to see it clearer but his direct focus caused the peripheral sight to vanish.

He hastened his paste slightly as he continued on his path. He was sure, now, as he saw more shadows flashing across his peripheral vision. This couldn't be good, but he didn't have any way to defend himself from the massive numbers he thought he was seeing. He looked once again behind him as he began to panic, looking for something to fight with or somewhere to fight that would help him handle the disadvantage.

As he turned his head to face forward, he noticed a man in shinigami robes standing before him. He stopped moving as he examined the stranger further.

The stranger had black hair that was nearly shoulder length but disheveled in appearance. As he looked closer, he noticed what appeared to be a captain's coat with the number five written in the center of the back. Ichigo's eyes widened as he remembered the former captain of squad five, Sosuke Aizen. His mind flashed and whirled with images of his cocky grin and disgusting arrogance.

_This guy can't be Aizen,_ Ichigo though after considering for a moment and allowing his former panic to be dulled. _He has to be the new captain. Still, I shouldn't be able to see a soul reaper. I don't have any spirit pressure anymore. What's going on?_

The figure before him turned to reveal a similar pair of eyes to Aizen's and the same cocky grin. Ichigo's blood turned to ice as he stared at the man before him.

"Hello, Ichigo Kurosaki," he said, smiling slightly. "I don't think you and _I_ have had the pleasure of meeting."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes and scowled at the man, cautiously taking a stance.

"What's goin' on?" Ichigo said, suspiciously. "Who are you?"

The man laughed slightly to himself as he suddenly appeared next to Ichigo, his zanpakuto pressed against Ichigo's throat.

"You messed up my plans," he said, pressing the blade harder into the flesh. "I don't like when my plans are interrupted. Aizen had to have his toy, though."

Ichigo's eyes widened as he looked at the man through the corner of his eye.

"Who are you?" he said, fear causing his voice to shake slightly.

"My name will come with time," he said with a laugh. "So will many other things."

"What do you want with me?"

"I want to destroy you," he responded coldly.

"So why not cut my throat right now?" Ichigo said, his determined look returning to his eyes. "Then you could get what you want."

"Not necessarily. You see, I want to destroy you _so completely _that you lose the will to even continue living. Then, once you have taken back your former power, will I strip you of all of it and leave you to die in the street."

Once again, Ichigo's body was racked with fear as he heard the words this man spoke.

"You see, I have an agenda to kill the wretched Soul King and steal his throne for myself. Aizen, the fool, simply wanted to show he had become the most powerful being in existence by killing the Soul King. He also felt he was more intelligent than the Soul King. I have other reasons for my pursuit of the Soul King."

"I have no fight with you," Ichigo said. He knew this man intended to destroy everyone he loved, but he could not allow that to happen. Even if he had to die, he couldn't let the others die in his place. "I have no powers. I can't do anything to you."

"I know," the man said, returning his calm demeanor and gaze to Ichigo's attention. "I still seek your destruction. You see, you've proven a difficult substitute soul reaper by defeating Aizen. You're certainly more difficult than the others. They all died easily."

"You killed other substitutes?" Ichigo was horrified to hear this.

"No. You see, soul reapers like your beloved Rukia and Renji murdered thousands of substitutes because they were against the laws of the soul society. I simply observed from afar and watched the centuries pass by."

Ichigo's couldn't help his body's quaking as he tried to understand what he was being told. He was so confused about this guy. Was he a shinigami or was he something else? How did he know Rukia and Renji if he wasn't a shinigami? How did he know Ichigo if he wasn't a shinigami?

The blade was suddenly pulled from in front of Ichigo's throat and sheathed. Ichigo nearly collapsed once the support had gone. His vision bounced from blurry to clear as he tried to understand what was going on and tried to plan what he was going to do. Hopelessness began to set in as he couldn't find any of the answers he needed. He need Zangetsu. He needed Tensa Zangetsu. He needed his hollow self's instinctual, rage-centered power. As Ichigo tried to process this, he heard the man draw his blade once again.

Ichigo turned to face him as, suddenly, the zanpakuto were thrust through his right shoulder, ripping through the fabric, flesh and muscle within the joint. Searing pain shot through Ichigo's body as he shouted in agony at the stab wound. His cry grew louder as he was lifted by the zanpakuto in his shoulder. His hands scrambled to try to pull the blade back out, only to end up with wide gashes on his hand.

_What's happening? _he asked himself frantically. _A zanpakuto shouldn't be able to do this type of damage to my physical body. My spiritual body should be the only one being damaged. How is this happening? What is happening, anyway?_

As the pain continued and he ceased his attempts to pull himself off the blade, he heard the rage filled cry of Tatsuki as she flew down from somewhere above, swinging madly at the man who, upon seeing the girl, with drew his blade from Ichigo's shoulder. As he backed away, waving his blade off to his side to shed some of the blood from its surface, Tatsuki leaped in front of Ichigo.

"Ichigo!" she shouted, keeping her eyes on the man. "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine," he said, pushing his hand hard into his shoulder to try to stop the bleeding.

Suddenly, Yoruichi appeared behind Ichigo and knelt down to him.

"Hey," she said, nonchalantly.

"What are you two doing here?" he asked, curiously. He began to feel shock setting in as he began to need to focus in order to not shake uncontrollably.

"We sensed that something was up with your spiritual pressure," Tatsuki said. "It felt strange and suspicious."

Ichigo looked, confusedly, at Tatsuki.

"When did you-?"

"We don't have time to explain, Ichigo," Yoruichi said as she lifted him up so that he was standing with his left arm on her shoulder.

As Ichigo began to try to pry further, he felt another presence by his right side. He looked and, as he began to focus, could see Senna standing under his right arm with her left arm hooked around his waist.

"Senna..?"

"Ichigo..." she said, staring into his eyes. "Damn idiot," she said, turning away as tears filled her amber eyes.

"What the hell did I do?"

"You couldn't just be smart and run? No, you had to try to stand up to him," she said, trying not to cry.

Ichigo felt the concern pouring from her as she held him up and he held her close.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I didn't know you were still here."

"I never left," she said with a slight sob.

"I'm so sorry," Ichigo said. "I-"

Suddenly, the man drew his sword and summoned his zanpakuto. As Ichigo heard this, his blood turned to ice once again and his body tensed.

"Shatter," the man said as he slowly drew his zanpakuto. "Kyoka Suigetsu."

Yoruichi grabbed Tatsuki and flash stepped out of the battle area while Ichigo and Senna prepared to escape. Ichigo stared at the man, but he became confused as the man's appearance became blurry and obscure. As he looked at Senna to tell her they needed to escape now, he noticed the man standing beside her.

"Senna!" Ichigo shouted, shoving the girl out of his way and taking the blade's cut directly through his trapezoid and deep into his chest. He froze as the man withdrew his blade with the same cruelly sarcastic smile. As Ichigo looked at him again, he saw the glint of curiosity dart through his eyes.

Senna, shocked by what had just happened, quickly grabbed Ichigo and began to flash step rapidly through the city. The two were travelling so fast, now, that if Ichigo hadn't been used to flash step, he'd have surely vomited by now. Within seconds, Senna had carried Ichigo all the way to Urahara's shop. Once their, she set him down gently on the ground. She frantically tried to find any sign of the man behind her.

"Ichigo!" she screamed, shaking his head. "Ichigo, look at me. Look at me!"

His eyes were frozen, staring into the distance as she tried to get him to react. His vision blurred as he saw the man approaching. He could barely hear Senna's voice as he watched, horrified, as the man landed behind her, lifting his blade above his head.

"Senna," he said, weakly.

She stopped crying for a moment and stared at him.

"Move!" he said, suddenly finding the strength to move. He grabbed her shoulder and jerked her out of the way as the man brought his blade down, slicing down her back with the tip of his blade. Blood sprayed from her back as the blade gashed along the length of it.

From apparently no where, Ichigo heard a screaming sound as Tatsuki appeared, punching the man square in the face. She stood above Ichigo and Senna, pulling her long-sleeve sweater over her head, revealing a training outfit similar to Yoruichi's. As she shed the uniform, Yoruichi appeared behind her, her orange sweater gone.

"Ready?" Yoruichi asked her.

Tatsuki nodded as she threw her sweater aside.

"Shunko!" the two shouted simultaneously. Suddenly, they disappeared. Ichigo couldn't see them but he could feel the intensity with which they all fought. The ground shook as the man kept putting up a single hand and deflecting what Ichigo guessed were their attacks.

What disturbed Ichigo, though, was the ease with which he deflected their strikes. He even seemed to be amused by their attempts to attack him. He was effortlessly battling the two.

Suddenly, before Ichigo had time to blink, the man had drawn his sword and ran it through Tatsuki. Once she was stationary from the pain, he withdrew his blade and cut across her chest from her left shoulder to her right hip. Blood flew into the air as she fell to the ground. Yoruichi, Ichigo guessed, began to fight fervently as she yelled and tried to kill the man.

With ease, once again, he ran her through with his sword and brought the blade out through her ribs, destroying many of her internal organs. He then kicked her body on top of Ichigo and Senna. The man did not stop her, however. He walked back towards Tatsuki and reversed his grip on the blade. He aimed the tip at her brain stem. As he bore down, he suddenly found his blade stopped on top of a yellow barrier. As he watched, his attack's energy was then focused into the center of the triangular barrier and fired back at him.

"Orihime Inoue," he said with a smile as he brushed off her attack.

There stood the young red head, determination set on her face. Her hair flowed in the wind as she stood strong against the man.

"Stop this," she said, assertively. "Stop hurting my friends right now. I don't know who you are, but you had better leave us all alone."

The man smiled as he suddenly vanished. Before Ichigo could turn his head toward Orihime, and before she could bring her shield back to her, the man was behind her.

"I'll just be taking you, then," he said as he drove his zanpakuto directly through the girl's heart. Her eyes widened in shock as he, just as quickly, withdrew his blade. As he did so, he turned it and stabbed Chad as he charged. A blue arrow made of reishi flew at the man's head as he did so but he simply caught in and tossed it aside while he withdrew his sword and kicked Chad so hard in the head, his neck snapped and he was sent flying.

Uryu saw Orihime fall to the ground and instantly let loose a barrage of unimaginable proportion and never before seen by Ichigo. The man's silhouette disappeared, hidden by the reishi. Before Uryu could react, the man had flash-stepped beside him and cut open his stomach, chest and firing arm. Uryu, stunned by the attack, fell from his standing point in the air and crashed, hard, into the ground.

The man landed beside Ichigo's head and sheathed his sword. He knelt down to look into Ichigo's eyes.

"I told you," he said, thrusting a hand through Senna's soul chain, "I'm going to defeat you utterly."

As he stood again, Ichigo heard Benihime's scream as Urahara swiped down with the blade, charging the man. The man put up no fight as he flew away, the cocky smirk and knowing look in his eyes as he flew away.

As the man flew away, Ichigo's vision and hearing became less and less focus as he slipped into shock.

But, as he slipped into shock, he heard Urahara speak to himself, and what he said worried Ichigo greatly.

"Damn it," he said. "Aizen, what did you do? He's not ready yet."


End file.
